16th July 2009
Parliament to Investigate where Britain Stands in the Digital Communications Race
The present and future of broadband speeds across the UK will come under investigation by the Parliament. The practicality of Lord Carter’s Digital Britain report will also be the subject of its investigation.
According to the Parliament website, the government’s goal of 2 Mb broadband speeds across Britain in three years’ time will be studied by the parliamentary committee to evaluate if this target is too low on ambition.
The committee will also investigate if the government’s plans for next generation access will yield anything worthwhile for consumers. The Digital Britain report’s high-flying vision of an improved broadband network has been subject to much doubt and apprehension from industry experts who have found its plans to be vague and impractical.
Levying of tax on copper lines to finance the roll out of a sophisticated broadband infrastructure across Britain will also be investigated. Parliament will also check whether ISPs are duping customers by promising them access at certain speeds but actually providing them with ones that are far less than what they have promised – click here for a broadband check.
The results of this inquiry are not going to come out soon, as Parliament will continue to investigate and collect data till the month of September. It is quite unfortunate that the inquiry agenda completely lacks any emphasis on the importance of upload speeds.
